Strawberries
by maja3322
Summary: With spring coming fast Draco knows that he must do something about his attraction towards Hermione Granger. And when she mention a love for strawberries a plan forms in Draco's mind...
1. Strawberries with Milk and Sugar

**Strawberries with Milk and Sugar**

"Merlin, I'm tired!" Hermione exclaimed and bent over to rest her head against her folded arms. I myself stifled a yarn, trying to cover up that I was just as tired as her.

I stood up and stretched to activate all my muscles again. We had been working on the same case for a little more than a month and it had gotten us absolutely nowhere. Well, on the case that is. I myself, on the other hand, have moved quite a lot. I usually couldn't stomach Hermione Granger, so to say that I was displeased when I learned we'd be working this case together would be an understatement. I was absolutely furious! But of course I just pulled myself together. I'm a professional. No problem whatsoever. But over the last month a new problem has surfaced. I find myself very attracted to Hermione – not just her body, but also her astonishing brain, her moral and ethics and her kindness. Weird, huh? Who would have thought, that I'd actually find myself lusting after Hermione Granger. I, for one, was not one of them. But there's no denying what I'm feeling. There's only hiding it and I'm doing the best I can.

"I can't work anymore," Hermione mumbled into her sleeve but she didn't move from her chair. I walked up to her and contemplated whether or not I should offer her a back rub. I really, really wanted to touch her. But I didn't.

"You want me to take you home?" I offered instead. Hermione raised her head and looked questioningly at me.

"You'd do that?" she asked befuddled. I sighed.

"You don't trust me or what?"

Her expression turned bewildered and then apologetic.

"I didn't mean it like that," she hurriedly said. "Yes, I'd like for you to accompany home."

I couldn't contain a big smile as I went to my desk to get my jacket. I glanced over my shoulder while putting it on and was pleased to see Hermione getting dressed to leave as well. I'd never been to her place before, didn't even know where she lived. But now I was going to find out. And I couldn't wait.

After buttoning the last button in my jacket I turned to her and said, "You ready?"

She nodded with a small smile and started walking towards the exit. I followed her, jogging a little to get up beside her. As I settled into her pace I noticed how she glanced nervously at me. That did not sit well with me at all. I instantly got the feeling that she was uncomfortable with my presence and that she'd rather not show me her home. I cleared my throat a little too loudly and she quickly looked straight ahead again.

"So," I said to break the silent tension. "Where do you live?"

"Russell Square," she answered. I waited for her to continue but she said nothing more.

"That's a nice place," I said to once again break tension. This tension between us annoyed the crap out of me. When we were at the office, working, there was no problem at all. But as soon as we left the office we had nothing to talk about.

"It is," Hermione agreed and stepped out of the office building.

"Why did you choose to live there?"

Hermione rubbed her cheek before answering, "You're going to think me silly."

I laughed a little and that and shook my head.

"Not at all," I laughed. "Go on, I want to know."

"Okay," she still hesitated. "Well, it's close to British Museum."

Nothing silly there, I thought.

"Why would I find that silly?"

She stopped walking and turned around to look at me.

"Well, because it is," she said a little hotly. "I chose my home based on its proximity to a museum!"

I didn't answer; just cocked my head in question. Hermione exhaled loudly.

"You know," she said quietly. "There was a time when you'd have made fun of me for saying something like this."

"True," I admitted. "But as you said; _there was a time_. As in I've changed."

She blushed to a deep scarlet and looked away. Wringing her hands she started walking again. I watched her walk for a couple of seconds, trying to figure out what the blush was all about, before I walked to her side again.

"There's also another good thing about Russell Square," I said to hopefully make her feel more at ease.

"Yeah," Hermione said and lovely smile dawned on her lips. "There's the park."

"Sure," I said, rejoicing silently in the beauty of her happy face. "But I was thinking more along the lines of the distance from there and to work."

"Oh," Hermione said and her smile fell apart. "Yes, of course, there's that too."

"But you're right, the park is really lovely."

Instantly the smile reappeared. Merlin, I then realised that I'd do anything to keep that smile on her face.

"Especially this time of year," she said dreamily, her eyes glazing over as she entered a dreamlike state. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her. "The leaves are coming back to life, soft green and delicate. Flowers emerge from the ground that is no longer frozen during the night. There are birds in every tree, chirping and building nests. Squirrels jump from branch to branch waiting for you to pull out a bag of nuts."

"I'm guessing you go to the park often?" I said with a small laugh. Again Hermione blushed. The colour suited her perfectly.

"I do," she admitted and smiled crookedly. "I try to go there every day during the spring and summer."

"I'd love to do that too," I said and smiled at her. "Tell me something, about those squirrels?"

I waited for her to say something, but she just blushed a deeper red.

"Do you feed them?"

She hesitated before answering, "I do, yeah. They're the cutest little things you can imagine."

I laughed, a full blown laugh.

"Don't make fun of me!" she scolded and folded her arms defensively in front of her chest.

"I'm not," I laughed. "I just think you sound incredibly sweet when you talk like that. So unlike you, really."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, normally you're ruled by logic and reason. But with these squirrels. The only reason why you feed them is because you find them cute."

"Yeah, well, they are." I detected the defensiveness in her words and instantly held up my hands in surrender.

"I never said that they weren't" I explained myself. "I just said I never pecked you for one who cared about those things."

"Hmm," she said and watched me carefully with narrow eyes. "Okay. Well, I do care."

"Good to know."

And then we continued in silence. Right up until Hermione suddenly stopped dead in the street in front of a grocery store.

"Oh!" she said loudly and then started laughing.

I followed her stare but didn't realise what the big thing was.

"What?"

She pointed at the store's assortment of fruits.

"Strawberries," she said and smiled. "The first of the year."

I frowned.

"How do you know that?"

"I walk by here every day and always look for them. And now they're here."

With those words she started walking again. I took one last look at the red, tempting berries before I followed her again.

"Aren't you getting any?" I asked a little confused. "It seems that you've been waiting for them but then you don't want any?"

"Oh no, I do want them," she said and made me even more confused. "I just only buy them on Saturdays. Else I'd eat them all the time. I like it better when you save them for just once a week."

"I don't understand. If there's something I like I eat it whenever I want to."

"But that's the thing. If I were to eat strawberries every time I felt like it I'm afraid I'd might grow tired of the taste. So therefore – just once a week."

"You really are too rational for your own good," I said teasingly.

"Perhaps," she said and kept her tongue for the rest of the walk. Four minutes later we arrived at her apartment building.

"This is where I live," she said and unlocked the door. Halfway through the door she hesitated and looked back at me. "Thank you for walking with me. I enjoyed it."

"As did I," I answered, gave her a smile and started walking home.

As I came by the grocery store again and saw the strawberries an idea formed in my mind. I walked in and bought a small basket of strawberries.

The next morning I showed up for work earlier than I normally would. I knew that Hermione wouldn't be in for another ten minutes which should give me time enough to start kick off the first stage of my plan.

Ten minutes later Hermione arrived at the office, humming a happy little tune. Once she reached her desk she stopped dead in surprise. On the desk was a bowl of strawberries with cold milk and sugar. She reached out and touched the bowl in wonderment. Slowly a smile formed on her lips and she look back over her shoulder at me.

"You did this?" she asked me. I walked up to her, nodding as I went.

"My mother used to make this for me when I was younger," I explained. "I know what you said about the whole getting-tired-of-the-taste-thing but I just thought that you deserved your strawberries."

Merlin, now I was blushing, hoping that she didn't find me strange or silly. Uncomfortably I looked away from her searching stare. After a second or two she placed her small, elegant hand on my arm.

"Thank you," she whispered gratefully. I felt a lump form in my throat and had to clear it to be able to speak again.

"Yeah, well," I fumbled around with the words. "Don't sweat it. Just enjoy your strawberries."

She sent me a beaming smile and turned to pick up the bowl and put a loaded spoon in her mouth. As she moaned at the taste I instantly knew that I was definitely going to do this again the next day. And the day after that and the day after that. Anything to get her to smile like that and hear that adorable little moan again. Anything.

_**I know, I know, I promised to finish 'We're Stuck, You and I' before starting anything new. But since spring is just outside my door I wanted to do something a little more up to date. So I started this. Don't worry, it's still my intention to finish the other story. But it is just going to take me a little while…**_

_**Oh! And please review!**_


	2. Strawberry Smoothie

**Strawberry Smoothie**

The next morning I was ready with yet another little surprise for Hermione. It was a lovely, sunny Friday and my mood was sky high. But somehow I just knew that Hermione was going to improve it. I whistled cheerfully as I walked the way from my home to hers, basking in the wonderfulness of the day ahead.

I stopped in front of her door and rung her doorbell. Only a few seconds later a rather confused Hermione opened the door and stuck out her head.

"Draco!" she exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

I grinned, a little foolishly I'm afraid, and pulled out two fresh strawberry smoothies from behind my back.

"One for you and one for me," I said proudly. At first she didn't say anything. She just looked even more confused than before. Then, slowly, a smile began forming on her perfect lips.

"Strawberry?" she asked with a glint in her eyes.

"Of course," I answered. My heart did a little lurch in my chest as she squealed in delight and clapped her hands. She looked so young and childish, not at all like the stern, serious Hermione I had grown to know.

"Give me just a second and then I'll be right out."

She closed the door gently and I was left waiting outside for her. About 30 seconds later the door was again open and Hermione stepped out wearing a floral spring coat. She skipped happily towards me and reached out to take one of the cups. I was tempted to deny her what she wanted in exchange of a kiss or something equally foolish, but I contained myself and held out the cup for her to take.

"Thank you so much Draco," she smiled before wrapping her lips around the thin, red straw. I have to admit that my eyes were immediately drawn to her puckered lips. My mouth might even have hung slightly open. She was mesmerizing.

I gulped uncomfortably before answering, "You're welcome."

She pulled away from the straw and smiled again. And my knees went weak.

"Did you make this?" she asked as she started to walk down the street. I laughed as I followed her.

"Absolutely not! I don't cook… anything."

"Well, it's good."

"I'm glad you think so."

We walked in silence for a while before she turned her big, questioning eyes on me.

"Why do you spoil me like this?"

Her face was curious and very, very hard to resist. I almost felt compelled to tell the truth. Almost. But somehow I held my ground. I didn't want to just lay my feelings on her without any courting period. I know, it might sound outdated and old, but I just couldn't get myself to tell her right up front. Not without being sure that she at least felt _something_ for me.

"Just trying to be friendly," I said, avoiding her eyes as best as I could. "You know, we've gotten slightly closer this last month and… yeah, you're not all bad."

She uttered a small, surprised laugh but didn't comment. She just kept on looked at me, beckoning for me to continue with her searching eyes.

"So," I continued hesitantly "I really wanted us to get to know each other better."

"And then you just decided to bring me strawberries?" she said with a crooked smile.

"It seemed like a good place to start."

The smile disappeared and was replaced by her normal seriousness.

"You're right," she said. "It was a very good place to start. And I'm very thankful."

"Yeah well," I said slightly uncomfortable "don't go all soft on me."

Instantly the serious expression evaporated and was replaced by my favourite smile.

"Fine," she said cheerfully. "Then I won't start crying."

"Oh, please don't do that!" I said, suddenly terrified that she might be capable of such a winey thing.

She laughed happily and went through the glass doors to our office building. Astonished, I went in after her, watching her laugh as she went to our shared office. When I stepped in she was already sitting at her desk with her coat hanging on the back of her chair and the smoothie standing in front of her.

I went to my own desk, put down the smoothie, which I hadn't even tasted yet, hung my jacket on my chair and sat down. I really tried to work. I tried to concentrate on the task in front of me. but it was extremely difficult when there was something _else_ in front of me, distracting me from my duties. Hermione's desk was situated right in front of mine and I had a clear view of her back with her long hair hanging down it.

I watched as she flicked her hair back with her hand and then she reached out to take the cup. I watched completely transfixed as she raised the cup to her lips and started drinking again. I felt my breathing quicken and my heart rate speed up. Suddenly her chair started turning and I realised that she was turning to face me. I scrambled to make it look like I hadn't just been staring my eyes out of my head, but I'm not really sure I succeeded. She took another pull from the straw before lowering the cup.

"You know," she said thoughtfully. "It really is a good idea, the whole friend-thing. So, in the nature of friendship, would you like to come over for tea tomorrow?"

I was flabbergast for two seconds before I could answer, "I'd love to." And with a sly grin I added, "You make the tea and I will take care of the pastry."

Hermione smiled broadly and then turned back to her work. Meanwhile I was thinking about what sort of strawberry cake would work with tea…

_**So sorry for the long wait, but I finally finished another chapter. It'll probably be awhile before I'll get around to writing another one, so enjoy this one.**_

_**And review!**_


	3. Strawberry Coffee Cake

**Strawberry Coffee Cake**

I glanced down myself to make sure that I looked alright. My tight, grey shirt was spotless, thank Merlin, the denim pants were slightly worn and torn, but they were my favourite and my black shoes were shiny. Yep everything was perfect. Going for the door I suddenly remembered the only thing I really _had to_ remember! The strawberry cake. Running back to the kitchen I grabbed the cake. I looked around to make sure that there wasn't anything else I needed to remember. Nope, nothing at all. It was time to go.

I arrived at Hermione's door at exactly one o'clock. Perfect timing. I had thought about just flooing in, but decided that this was more romantic. So there I was, knocking on her door the Muggle way – apparently she had me under her spell, so I was willing to do Muggle things for her – waiting for her to answer. She didn't leave me waiting for long.

"Give me a second, Draco!" I heard her call from the other side of the door.

"Sure thing," I called back, grinning to myself. Even after all the time we'd spent together the last month it still pleased me immensely to hear her say my name. It sounded – I don't know – _different_… better when she said it. Three seconds later the door was pulled open and a breathless Hermione appeared in the door opening.

"Sorry," she said, short of breath. "I was sort of not dressed…" She trailed off and blushed crimson red. "Oh Merlin! You didn't need to know that!"

Her flabbergasted rambling had me laughing on the spot.

"I don't mind at all," I laughed, clutching my stomach with my free hand. "It's refreshing when people just say what they think."

"Sure," Hermione said quietly, still blushing and avoiding my eyes. She stepped to the side to allow me entrance. "Please come in."

I finished laughing and did as she said. As I walked by her I noticed just how beautiful she was. Her hair was in total disarray, her cheeks were flaming and her black eyelids kissed her cheeks gracefully. She was wearing a very pretty coral dress with no sleeves, cut just above her knees.

"You look nice," I commented. In my head I was screaming, _"You look gorgeous!" _But well, some things are better left unsaid. Or at least left till a better time. Say, like when you actually know someone.

"Thank you," she said shyly, blushing again while reaching up to straighten her hair. I couldn't help myself – I took a hold of her hand to stop her.

"Don't," I said, looking her straight in the eyes. "It looks good on you like that; all out of control."

All at once her wonderful wit returned to her.

"I thought you hated my hair," she said with a cheeky grin. "At least that's what you used to say once. Wasn't there a nickname? Or yeah, fur ball! Or what about frizzy head. That one's my favourite."

She started laughing and I had to accompany her.

When we settled down I answered, "Yeah, I wasn't all that nice. And I really didn't like your hair back then. But we've both grown since then and now I actually like it just the way it is."

"Then I won't change it," she said with a sincere smile.

A strange silence started growing between us. That blasted silence that killed all fun! I cleared my throat to beat it down and handed her the cake.

"Here you go," I said sheepishly.

"Oh!" she exclaimed in delight and took the cake from me. "What is it?"

"It's strawberry coffee cake," I explained. "Hopefully it still works with tea."

"I'm sure it will," Hermione smiled and led me to her sitting room. First now I noticed how cosy and _Hermione_ her place was. Everything seemed to be a little sliver of her soul. There were books everywhere, both Muggle and Wizard. All of the furniture was light and colourful making the room seem bright and cheerful. I instantly fell in love with her decoration just because it oozed _her_.

"How do you like your tea?" came her soft voice from the kitchen next door.

"If you have a little lemon then that's fine," I replied, not wanting to be a burden to her.

"Of course I have lemon," she said, her voice coming closer as she tried to push through the door with two mugs of tea in her hands. I rose quickly and went to open the door for her. At first she seemed very confused, but as I smiled at her, she returned it thankfully.

"Thanks," she said and set the mugs down.

"Anything else I can do for you?" I asked, wanting her to see that no matter what else she thought of me, I really was a gentleman.

"Yes, actually. You can make yourself comfortable while I get the cake."

I chuckled a little and she disappeared into the kitchen again. I heard her moving around in there. Suddenly I got this urge to watch her scurry around, but quickly decided against it. She would think me creepy and that was really the last thing I needed. Instead I just waited for her to get out. It only took her a couple of minutes before she was battling with the door again and I came to her rescue for the second time.

"Thanks," she said and blushed as she put a piece of cake in front of me.

"I hope it tastes good," I said hopefully as I watched her take a bite. I relaxed instantly as she closed her eyes with a little smile and practically moaned in appreciation.

"_Good_ is an understatement," she smiled and took another bite. "Who made this? I mean, I know you don't cook."

"I absolutely don't," I said and tasted the cake myself. It was brilliant. "I had my house elf do it."

It didn't even take me a second before I realised that I shouldn't have said that. Hermione became absolutely rigid in her chair, quickly set her cake down and sent me a very nasty look.

"You had your house elf do it?" she repeated my words in an icy voice. "You simply had you _house elf_ to do it?"

I could see that she was beginning to work herself into a hissy fit and I had to do something to stop it before it got bad.

"She enjoys working for me," I hastily said. But Hermione was not at all comforted.

"Of course she does," she said hotly. "She doesn't know that she could live a different way!"

"How do you know that?" I asked, trying to keep calm and not get mad like I really wanted to. Sure, I might be in love with her, but she could still push all the right buttons.

My answer seemed to throw her off her balance for a second, but she quickly composed herself again.

"So she knows that she can have her freedom?" she asked with narrow eyes. "That every living creature is entitled to freedom?"

I grinned a little as I answered, "She lived with me at Hogwarts. She knew Dobby. She knew all about freedom."

She looked quizzically and searchingly at me.

"She knew Dobby?" she asked with a low voice. I nodded. "What did she think of him?"

"She thought him silly and stupid," I answered sincerely.

"No wonder," Hermione said, working herself into a hot temper again. "She was brought up to think that you only have to serve your master. It's hard to turn your back on the illusions of childhood."

"I've had her since she was very young," I said. "She's still very young. The first thing I did was to tell her that she didn't have to serve me if she didn't wish to do so." Hermione looked at me intently as I continued. "She took one look at me and declared that I wasn't fit to take care of myself – she was quite right by the way – and decided to stay with me."

Hermione was completely silent as she absorbed my story. I wasn't sure whether or not she believed me. Her feelings were hidden behind a mask of indifference. Then she said something I hadn't expected her to at all.

"Call her here."

My eyes widened in shock but I did as she asked.

"Whiskey," I called into nothing, "would you please come here for a second?"

With a loud crack my sweet, little house elf appeared. Hermione looked at her intently, watching how she was dressed like a little girl in real clothes and how her round, blue eyes looked adoringly at me.

"My Master called me," she said with her squeaky, girly voice.

"I did, Whiskey," I said with a patient smile. "This pretty lady would like to talk to you." I pointed towards Hermione and first then did Whiskey realise that we weren't alone.

"Ooh," Whiskey said and clasped her hands together. "You have pretty dress. Whiskey likes pretty dresses. Master buys me one sometimes. This Master gave me!"

She made a little spin to show off her newest dress, a soft blue one I had found I children's store.

"It's very pretty," Hermione said with an overbearing smile, one of those you'd use when talking to a little, happy child. To me, that was what Whiskey was.

"Master said you want a talk with Whiskey?"

"That's not necessary after all," Hermione said, still with the same smile. "I've learned what I needed to know."

"Oh," Whiskey said, this time looking quite disappointed. "All right then."

"But it sure was very nice to meet you, Whiskey," Hermione quickly added and instantly Whiskey's good mood returned to her.

"Nice to meet you too, Pretty Lady," Whiskey said and bowed a little clumsily.

"Please, call me Hermione."

"No no. Master calls you Pretty Lady, Whiskey calls you Pretty Lady."

Hermione looked confused between me and Whiskey and then started laughing.

"Okay, you can call me Pretty Lady if it pleases you."

"It does, it does!" Whiskey squealed and did a little, happy dance.

"Whiskey," I laughed at the funny sight. "Whiskey, you can go home now."

"Okay, Master," she said and with a loud crack she was gone again.

When she was gone Hermione stared at me, looking me up and down before saying, "She loves you."

I felt a little blush creep into my cheeks.

"Yeah, well, I love her too you know."

"I could see that," she said with a wide smile. "Now, let's finish Whiskey's wonderful cake."

_**Sorry, sorry, sorry for the long wait… hey! Is it just me, or have I been apologising for that a lot lately? Well, I still am sorry. I've been extremely stressed lately and it won't get any better the next month – I'm at the end of my senior year at High School so I'm busy with exams and studying. But I'll try to update whenever I can.**_

_**Until then – please enjoy this chapter and review!**_


	4. Strawberry Pie with Whipped Cream

**Strawberry Pie with Whipped Cream**

As I lightened a candle I thought, _"Draco, you bloody bastard, why on earth are you doing this!"_ And I seriously didn't know whether my conscience was talking about the candles or the fact that I had invited Hermione over for dinner. To ease my mind a little, I blew out the candles and put them away. They definitely invoked the wrong feeling. As far as Hermione was concerned all of this being together was only to get to know each other. For her there was no romantic element.

"Master Draco," sounded Whiskey's little, squeaky voice behind me.

"What's the matter, Whiskey?" I asked her sweetly. I'd had her since she was quite small. Her former master was the one, who had given her the name 'whiskey' – he was a Muggleborn wizard, who'd had a problem with whiskey, hence the name. Ironically enough that was also what killed him. He'd been an employer in my father's company, and when she was found she was given to him, who then gave her to me.

"Whiskey was just wondering. Should Whiskey open the Floo?"

"Certainly, Whiskey. That would be great."

Her smile was beaming as she whisked off to do her job. While she opened the network I glanced around to make sure that everything was in its right place. I had set up the dinner table in my living room – I didn't have a dining room. After years of having eaten in a place like that I really resented it. Instead I ate in the kitchen with Whiskey.

Just then I heard a rush from the Floo Network and Whiskey's loud exclamation, "Pretty Lady!"

I chuckled a little. Whiskey had been looking forward to seeing 'Pretty Lady' ever since I came back from our tea the day before.

"Hello Whiskey," Hermione said brightly. "Where's your master?"

"Master Draco's in the other room," Whiskey replied happily. "Whiskey shows you the way!"

I straightened up next to the table, ready to greet my lovely guest. First Whiskey pushed through the door, dragging Hermione by the hand after her.

"Hermione!" I couldn't contain a happy exclamation similar to the one Whiskey had uttered just a few seconds before myself.

"Draco," she said with a wide smile. "Your place is very nice."

"Thank you," I answered and pulled out a chair for her. "Please, sit down."

"Huh," Hermione said when she did as I said.

"What?" I asked and sat down opposite to her.

"You really are quite the gentleman, aren't you?"

I laughed heartedly and said, "Absolutely!"

She laughed with me. When our laughter trailed off, a comfortable silence settled between us. I gave myself permission to look at her and drink her appearance. She was very beautiful, there was no denying that. Her hair was unruly, wild and slightly damp, giving the impression that she had just gotten out of the shower. As soon as that thought had entered my mind, it was very hard to get rid of again. Hermione in the shower…. Naked! I really had to stop thinking about that. I then let my eyes roam over her face. Her eyes were wonderfully brown, like always, but today she was actually wearing make-up. I'd never seen her with anything else but a little mascara but tonight she was also wearing a little eye colour and a shiny, translucent balm on her red lips. She was stunning, wearing a little, secret smile like she knew something I should know as well. I couldn't help imagining kissing those wonderful lips. The thought made me squirm a little. She saw that and started laughing.

"What's the matter with you?" she laughed, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Nothing!" I said quickly. Too quickly.

"Oh, come on!" she laughed. "You're squirming like you have an army of Flobberworms in your pants!"

I felt a little blush creep into my cheeks, but I did nothing to hide it.

"You really want to know?" I asked.

She smiled and replied, "Very much, thank you."

"Okay," I hesitated before saying what I'd wanted to say for over a month. "I think you are very beautiful."

Her smile wavered a little.

"Really?" she asked shyly.

"Honestly," I said. "I've been meaning to tell you so for the last month."

A delicious redness spread on her cheeks and neck, drawing my eyes to the tender spots I longed to touch with my hands, my lips, my tongue, anything really.

"Thank you," she whispered and glanced down onto the table.

For the rest of the dinner we were talking merrily and laughing. I hardly noticed what I was eating, I was so busy watching her and listening to her. Whenever she said something clever, her voice would turn serious, husky almost, and her eyes would be flaming with passion. I found myself wondering whether or not I could make her talk about me in that way.

When the dinner was eaten I rose and offered Hermione my hand. She looked dubiously at it, but took it none the less. Her hand was small and warm in mine. I felt a tingle run through my body when she closed her fingers around mine. She stood and I led her to the couch. We sat down together, still holding hands. I couldn't bring myself to let go of her. I looked at her with adorning eyes, and she looked back at me with millions of questions buzzing around in her head. Then she smiled a little weakly and gently pulled her hand away from my grasp. I felt the emptiness instantly.

"So," she said with renewed mischief. "What's for dessert?"

I had to laugh.

"Well," I answered, "Whiskey has made a strawberry pie with whipped cream on top."

"Oh my," Hermione breathed and then smiled. "That sounds yummy."

Just then Whiskey made her way into the living room carrying the pie and some plates for us. She put the pie in front of us and gave us each a plate.

"Thank you," I said and realised that Hermione had said the exactly same thing. We laughed a little nervously.

"Okay, now let's see what this is," I said and cut Hermione a piece. She took it with delight and tasted it. I heard her moan, I'm sure.

"Wow," she said. "This is really good."

Encouraged by her praise I cut myself a piece and tasted it. She was right, it was like eating paradise, I can imagine. But I didn't really pay much attention to this either. Instead I was watching Hermione as she ate. Her eyes were closed and it was clear that she was savouring every bite. Once in a while I heard her moan lightly again. The sound sent chills down my spine. When she had finally finished her piece she opened her eyes and looked very sated.

"That was lovely," she smiled.

Suddenly the clock on my wall started tolling and Hermione glanced at it with a startled look.

"Merlin!" she exclaimed breathlessly. "Is it this late?"

She hurried to feet and I followed suit.

"I really need to get home now," she apologized, and I saw the sincerity in her eyes. she was actually sad to leave.

"Okay," I said, unable to think of something better. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow I guess."

"Absolutely," she smiled and went into the kitchen. I followed her. "Goodbye, Whiskey," she said as she passed by her. "Thank you for a lovely dinner." Whiskey blushed at the praise. Before Hermione left she turned to me and said, "And thank you for a lovely evening."

I wanted so much to kiss her. I yearned and hungered to kiss if not her lips then her cheeks. But I didn't. Instead I bent down and pulled her into my arms, hugging her to my chest. She was rigid for a second before she returned the hug. And then she did the last thing I could ever imagine her doing. She pressed her tender, sweet lips against my cheek before pulling away from the hug. I stood completely aghast and watched her as she left without another word. When she was gone I rubbed the spot where the feel of her kiss still lingered.

"Pretty Lady is very nice," Whiskey noted.

"Exceptionally nice," I agreed and went straight to bed, going to sleep early so I wouldn't have to wait so long before I saw Hermione again.

_**I know, it's been a long time. And I can't promise I'll be faster. I'll try, but I won't promise anything.**_

_**Review and get a kiss from Draco! That would definitely make me review…**_


	5. Chocolate Covered Strawberries

**Chocolate Covered Strawberries**

On her desk were a bowl of chocolate covered strawberries. I had debated whether or not to also put out a bottle of champagne, but decided against it. We were at work after all. So alcohol wouldn't be the best idea. I sat peacefully at my own desk and waited for her to get in. She was late, at least according to her own time. Two minutes late. Three minutes late. Five minutes. Where on Merlin's butt was that girl?

Finally she came in, red spots on her cheeks and heavy breathing.

"Sorry I'm late," she panted at me as she took of her coat and hung it on the back of her chair. "The squirrels were very reluctant to let me go, so I got carried away."

I laughed a little as I replied, "That's perfectly alright."

I wanted to say something more, like tease her with her precious little squirrels, but then she found the strawberries.

"Draco!" she exclaimed loudly and turned towards me with the bowl in her hands. "This is amazing!"

Her face was glowing with happiness and the afterglow of her run. Carefully she took one of the berries and took a little nip. When the strawberry and the chocolate disappeared into her mouth she closed her eyes in ecstasy and moaned a little. I loved that little moan – it had become a frequent participant in my dreams.

"They're good, I'm guessing?" I asked with a big smile.

Hermione opened her eyes and nodded vigorously.

"Haven't you tasted them?" she asked curiously.

"Nope, saved them all for you."

"Oh, you really should taste one!"

And with those words she picked up a berry, put the bowl down on her desk and walked around mine to offer me the berry. To my surprise she didn't offer it to my hands; she held it in front of my mouth, gesturing for me to take a bite. Slowly I leaned forward and closed my lips around the tip of the strawberry, biting down and letting the flavour of the rich, dark chocolate mix with the sweetness of the berry. Yeah, it was delicious and I couldn't stifle a moan.

"This is really good," I said approvingly and Hermione smiled down at me.

"I told you so," she said brightly and sat down on the edge of my desk. I looked at her in confusion – she'd never ever done that before – but she just kept the happy smile on her face and ignored my disbelieving look. Then she took a little bite of the berry and offered me the rest. I took it and kept eye contact with her brown almond eyes as I enjoyed the taste.

"Uh, Draco," she said with a sudden shyness that came out of nowhere. "There's something I'd like to ask you about."

I swallowed and felt a little chill run through my body. Had she figured it out? Was she going to turn me down? Or did she want me as well? I tried to catch her eyes with my own, but she avoided my tries and focused on her hands.

"I was just wondering," she said and finally looked up to meet my eyes. "Are you going to keep that juice on her chin or would you like me to get you a napkin?"

And then she burst out in laughter. Quickly I reached up to my chin and felt wetness there. I dried it off with the back of my hand as Hermione almost rolled around on top of my desk, shaking with laughter. Then I started laughing too.

"You little minx!" I laughed and took a hold of her hips to pull her down onto my lap without even thinking about my actions. It just felt right. When she was sitting on my lap I started tickling her, making her laugh even harder. She wiggled and squirmed to get away from me, but I had an arm around her waist so she wasn't going anywhere.

Finally she laughed breathlessly, "Please, let me go, I can't take it anymore!"

I obliged after one last tickle and she calmed down in my lap. And it didn't feel awkward. It felt utterly, completely _right_. And somehow I was sure that she could sense it too. She sat still with her one arms thrown casually around my neck.

"So," I said to break the silence. "You're ticklish."

"Wow," she said with mock admiration, "you really are smart, aren't you?"

"Watch out," I warned her with a smile. "Now that I know your secret I won't hesitate in using it against you."

"I know your secret too," she said and looked me deep in the eyes. "So you have nothing on me." Her words were serious and I was sure she knew everything. I was just waiting for her to shut me down or kiss me hard and good. Merlin, how I wanted her to kiss me! All this seduction thing, fun as it was, was beginning to feel too slow for me. Couldn't she just kiss me?

I swallowed nervously before I asked, "What secret?"

She kept looking into my eyes, moving closer and closer to me until she was just a couple of inches from my face.

"You know what secret," she whispered and I swallowed again. Now was the time, I was sure. She was going to kiss me! And then… she laughed again!

"Look how nervous you got!" she laughed and smacked her knees in amusement. "Merlin, I've never seen you that nervous before!"

This time I didn't start laughing, nor did I tickle her, I just said, with a big smile, "Those squirrels sure have put you in a good mood. Or made you completely loopy."

"A little of both," she grinned after she finished laughing.

"I thought so. I'd like to see you with those creatures, if I may?"

Okay, where did that come from? But I couldn't deny that I wanted to see her with these things that made her in such a good mood.

"Fine, we can arrange that," she smiled at me. "Tomorrow morning? I'll bring the nuts for the squirrels and you'll bring the strawberries for me?"

"Getting a little demanding, aren't you?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, come on Draco," she teased me and playfully pulled at a little strand of hair on the back of my neck. "You know you want to bring me strawberries."

"Fine," I sighed in false surrender. "I'll bring you some sort of strawberries. I'll meet you at your place at what time?"

"How's 7 o'clock?"

"It's early," I said with a wince. Very early in fact. "But I can manage. I simply have to see what can get you fired up like this."

"You'll love them," she said with a great smile. "They really are wonderful animals."

"Sure sure," I waved her off.

Then she patted my back and got off of my lap. The warmth of her body moved away and I suddenly felt strangely alone. She stopped in front of me as if she realised the same thing as I did.

"We should get to work," she said softly, albeit a little sadly.

"We should," I agreed and made to do just that, but before I got around to it Hermione had leaned down and kissed my forehead.

"Thanks for the strawberries," she said tenderly with a half smile.

"You're welcome," I breathed in wonder as I watched her go back to her desk and pick up another berry. "You're definitely welcome."

_**Yeah, another update! Two updates in one day! And I wrote both of them today! And now you may think, 'Why would she do such a thing?' The answer is simple, really… it's because of you! Yes, really! I had a slow day today, so I took some time to read some of my old reviews. All your kind and loving comments just made me so happy all over again that I decided to update another story as well. So here you go my trusted reader and reviewer. A present from me to you! Hope you enjoy it!**_


	6. Strawberry Muffins

**Strawberry Muffins**

Yeah, it was definitely _very_ early. I yawned loudly as I made my way to the park where I was to meet with Hermione. Though I was extremely tired I was also very excited to see her with her furry friends. I wanted to see what made her so giddy and happy. But more importantly I felt that this was a big step forward in our relationship. She was letting me observe something personal and private. And I was not going to miss the opportunity.

When I arrived at the little park the sight of Hermione instantly caught my eyes. She was wearing her floral, spring coat, sitting on a little bench beneath a tree with a grey squirrel next to her. I swear, I'm not usually a romantic, I don't watch silly girly movies or read romance novels, but the sight of her, showered in the morning rays of the sun, brought every sappy, corny term to my mind. For a while I just watched her with a great lump in my throat until she finally raised her head and smiled happily at me.

"Draco!" she exclaimed cheerfully and waved at me. I couldn't help smiling back at her; the joy with which she welcomed me was unlike anything I had ever imagined from her. Again I wondered whether she was on to me or just warming up to me.

Since I hadn't moved a fraction she beckoned for me to join her with a flick of her head. When I approached her the little squirrel instantly sprang from the bench to a nearby branch and disappeared into the tree above.

"I'm sorry," I apologised as I sat down where the squirrel had been before. "I didn't mean to scare him off."

"No biggie," she laughed and patted my hand sympathetically. "He'll come back, you wait and see. He's one of the shy ones."

I stared at her with big, wondering eyes.

"You can tell them apart?"

"Definitely," she answered brightly. "That there was James. I spent a lot of time working on him since he isn't really that fond of humans. I recognise him by the little white spot he has on his paw." She stopped talking as another squirrel approached us. It was instantly clear to me that this one was _not_ afraid of humans. It leapt straight from the ground and onto Hermione's lap where she had a little pile of hazel nuts lying. "Ah, and this is Sam. As you can see he's much more outgoing."

"And how do you recognise him?" I asked with genuine curiosity.

"Look at his ears," she simply answered and I did as told. When first I knew where to look it was easy to see how she could tell him apart from the rest of them.

"He's missing the tip of his left ear," I said with real sympathy. Poor fellow.

"Yeah," she said and gently stroked Sam down the back. "Probably happened in a fight with another squirrel. Or with a dove. But he's not timid or shy in any way."

She laughed heartedly as Sam sprang from her lap to her shoulder and started pulling her hair. Hermione was obviously used to this behaviour; she pulled out a fresh bag of nuts and offered Sam one, which he took and calmed down while eating away again.

"He's quite needy too," she said with a smile.

"I can see that," I laughed.

"You want to touch him?" she suddenly asked. "I promise he won't hurt you. Well, much anyway. Sometimes he gets a little overly excited."

Whoa, that did _not_ sound like my sort of thing.

"I think I'll pass," I said, eyeing the little fur ball, afraid that he might suddenly jump on me.

"I don't blame you," Hermione said while she removed Sam from her shoulder. She continued to stroke him affectionately and I could do nothing but watch her.

"They mean a great deal to you, don't they?" I suddenly realised.

"They really do," she said with a little sigh. "They're borderline family to me."

"I can see that," I said softly. She smiled a little shyly and then went back to patting Sam. Suddenly I remembered what I was supposed to give her. "By the way," I said as I started opening the paper bag I had brought with me, "I have something for you."

"Uh!" Hermione exclaimed in excitement and forgot all about patting Sam, who didn't seem to mind too much anyway. "Strawberries!"

I laughed and pulled out two strawberry muffins.

"Yummy!" she laughed and instantly grabbed one of the cakes. "Muffins!"

"Yeah, I thought since it's morning then something breakfast-y might be the right thing."

"It's lovely," she said with a soft smile and took a bite of the muffin. "Mmm, yeah, this really is lovely."

"I'll let Whiskey know that you said so," I said and took a bite myself. She was right, they were excellent.

"Oh, please do!" she said excitedly. While we ate the rest of our muffins we remained silent but I was sure I caught her looking at me once in a while. Whenever she did I just ignored it, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. But I couldn't help wondering what she was thinking about. Finally we were both done with our muffins. She stood and dusted off the crumbs from her jacket – Sam had taken off a few minutes earlier when the last nut had disappeared into his mouth. "You ready to go then?"

I followed her suit and dusted the crumbs of my jeans.

"Absolutely," I said and we started walking towards the office. I looked gingerly at her from the corner of my eye. She was walking with a serene, peaceful look on her face. Every time a ray of sun light broke free from the houses and landed on her face, she turned her head and closed her eyes to fully soak up the sun.

"You look absolutely breathtaking."

I couldn't keep the words at bay; they just slipped off of my tongue. Hermione stopped walking and turned to look at me with big, surprised eyes.

"Draco," she whispered with a little smile. "That was a really nice thing to say!"

And before I knew she had her arms thrown around my neck and was hugging me tightly. She had practically knocked all the air out of my chest and all the sense out of my head, but luckily my other senses kicked in and I was able to put my arms around her and hold her close to me. I couldn't keep myself from breathing in her unique scent of strawberries and jasmine. It wasn't until she let go of my neck that I realised that I was actually carrying her. With a foolish grin I put her down so she could stand on her own. We stood close for a while, just looking at each other with small smiles plastered on our faces. The moment felt perfect in all ways.

"You really are a wonderful man," she said affectionately before reaching up to stroke my cheek with the back of her hand. I closed my eyes and soaked up her gentle caress. "I'm really beginning to like you."

"I'm glad," was all I could say without spoiling everything with foolish, rushed declarations of love and desire. For now I had to do with this. But it was already so much more than I'd hoped for.

_**I know it's been a long time since m last update, but I hope this chapter will make up for it!**_

_**Please be the wonderful readers I know you are and leave a review! I'm offering a lifetime supply of strawberry muffins for each reviewer!**_

_**Well, then I'm off to work on another chapter for 'We're Stuck, You and I'**_


	7. Strawberry Milkshake

**Strawberry Milkshake**

"Hey, Draco?" Hermione's melodic, happy voice sounded above me and I raised my head to answer her.

"Yeah, what can I do for you?"

We were at work, it was nearly the end of the day and Hermione was standing in front of my desk with a quizzical, worried look on her ethereal face.

"Erm," she blushed and hesitated.

I smiled broadly, folded my arms in front me and leaned back into my seat.

"I know what it is," I said. "You're wondering why I haven't brought you any strawberries today."

She smiled sheepishly and blushed even more.

"That obvious, huh?" she laughed nervously.

"Actually, I'm surprised you waited this long to confront me."

"It was really hard," she laughed again.

"Today I have something special planned for you," I said mysteriously.

"Uh," Hermione exclaimed and went around the desk to sit down on it in front of me. "You're cooking?"

"Absolutely not!" I laughed loudly. "I told you, I don't do that. That why Whiskey lives with me."

"Okay, then what?"

"You'll see as soon as we're out of here."

"Oh, I see," she said and smiled and tapped her chin knowingly. "You're taking me out."

"You'll see," I repeated with a small laugh.

She gave me one last, searching glance before she sighed heavily in defeat and went back to her own desk. When I laid my hands on my desk I could feel her warmth lingering there. Her smell was all around me still and I breathed it in deeply. The last half hour before we were free to go was almost pure torture. I wanted nothing more than to simply get out with her on my arm, strolling down the street like a happy couple, laughing and touching and kissing affectionately. But of course I couldn't very well do that. Yet. I was determined to do it one day, no matter what I had to do to get there, how many strawberries I had to feed her. I was going to get her.

The thought of her swamped my mind and I almost didn't notice when everybody else got up and left. Not until Hermione rose as well and put on her spring coat. I glanced at the clock – I'd already lingered longer than I should. Quickly I got up as well and put on my own coat. I went to Hermione's side and offered her my arm.

"You ready to go?" I asked.

She looked a little confused from my eyes to my arm and back again before she finally hooked her arm around mine with a little hesitant smile.

"Sure," she said softly. "Lead the way."

Our pace was slow and comfortable, like we'd been doing nothing but walking together side by side all our lives. The thought made my heart swell and beat faster. I couldn't believe how good it felt to simply walk with Hermione. We didn't do anything else than walk, just walk. We didn't talk, but the silence wasn't awkward as it used to be. It was more… content. Secure. Like we both knew that we didn't have to speak to be together. We just had to be. And for the first time I felt completely at ease and at home. I was suddenly convinced beyond a doubt that with Hermione I would always belong. A huge, satisfied grin stuck to my face as we walked together through the crowded streets of London. Finally we reached our destination.

"Here we are," I said and pushed the door open for her to walk in.

"It's a McDonald's," she said dubiously as she entered.

"I know," I grinned.

"Why are we at a McDonald's?"

I took a deep breath as I prepared to tell her something I'd never told anyone else before.

"I used to come here a lot as a child," I confessed. Hermione cocked her head in question and I continued, "I never told anyone because I knew I wasn't allowed to go here. It's a Muggle restaurant, you know. Especially my father was against it. But I liked it here. I could be alone. I could watch people come and go and live their lives. It made me forget just how little I was allowed to live my own. And sometimes my aunt Andromeda would come here too. I never spoke to her, and she didn't see me either. But I liked watching her, liked seeing her with her husband and their child. They were the sort of family that I always dreamed of having myself."

I had hardly finished speaking before Hermione laid her head on my chest and hugged me tight. I was too confused to do anything else than just put my hands around her shoulders and hold her too. We stood like that for a long time before she finally turned her head to look at me, her chin now resting on my chest.

"Thank you," she whispered with a little smile. I saw the glimmer of a lonely tear in her eye.

"You're welcome," I answered, completely perplexed. "Uh, why exactly are you thanking me?"

"For sharing something that personal with me," she answered. "I liked that. It makes me understand you better. I really think that one of the reasons we, you know, got along so badly is because we simply didn't understand one another."

"You might be right," I said. "Or perhaps it was just because you were such unbearable know-it-all."

She laughed and playfully slapped my chest.

"Hey! Perhaps it was because you were such an arrogant git!"

"Yeah, that might be it too," I surrendered. "Thank Merlin I'm just awesome now and not anything else."

She huffed and we both started laughing. It would have been the opportune moment to kiss her. She was encircled in my arms, she had just nearly cried of happiness over something I'd said and now we were laughing like we'd been friends forever. It would have been so easy to just lean down and claim her lips as mine for all eternity. But I didn't. I don't exactly know what held me back. Perhaps it was the fact that we were only just beginning to be friends. Or perhaps it was the fact that we had an audience. I don't know.

Instead of kissing her I took a hold of her hand and pulled her to the nearest register.

"Whatya want?" the young, pimpled guy asked rudely.

"Two strawberry milkshakes," I answered and dug into my pocket to fish out the required coins and paid the guy when he came back with the milkshakes.

"Here you go," I said and handed Hermione one of the cups. She took it with a little happy grin. We found a small table that was unoccupied and sat down together.

"You can say a lot about McDonald's," Hermione said after having sipped her milkshake, "but they do make great shakes."

"I hear you," I smiled and saluted her with my own cup.

As I drank, Hermione watched my intently. I nearly choked on the pink liquid.

"What?" I asked as soon as I'd swallowed.

"Uh," she said a little whimsically. "I was just wondering about something."

"Oh no," I said theatrically. "Do I have something on my face again? Don't think I forgot about last you pulled that one on me!"

She laughed nervously and said, "No, no it's not that."

Now she was starting to scare me a little.

"Then what is it?"

"I don't know," she said. "I don't know, it's just, it feels like… I can't explain it."

"I can hear that," I joked.

"Draco, I'm serious."

"Who said you weren't?"

At that she laughed a little.

"What is it?" I asked with concern.

"I just feel that there's something you're hiding from me."

This time I really did choke on my shake. I coughed loudly till the feeling of drowning ceased.

"So there is something you're not telling me," she concluded.

I couldn't lie to her. I couldn't tell her that she was wrong. I just couldn't look into her beautiful, penetrating eyes and tell her a straight lie. So instead I sighed and shook my head.

"There is something," I said slowly. "But I really can't tell you. Trust me, there's nothing I'd rather do than tell you. But I can't. Not yet anyway."

"Draco," she whispered. "Friendships can't bloom like this. I can't have friends that hide something from me. Can't you please tell me? Please?"

She reached across the table and took my hands.

"It would freak you out," I warned her.

"I don't mind."

"It could ruin us."

"I'm prepared to take that chance."

"But what if I'm not? I don't want to lose you." She seemed hesitant to argue with me on that. "Unless you can promise me that you won't leave me when I tell you, I just can't do it."

She faltered.

"I can't promise that," she whispered.

"Then I can't tell you. At least not yet. I will one day, that is my promise to you."

She sighed and let go of my hands.

"I'm sorry, but that's just not good enough." She rose. "I really am sorry." And then she left.

I sat alone for a total of three seconds before I rushed after her. She had already made into the streets before I caught up to her. I took her arm and spun her around.

"Fine, I'll tell you."

She didn't rush me, just urged me to go on with her big, trusting eyes.

"I'm in love with you."

Her reaction was not what I'd hoped for. She didn't say anything. Didn't ask questions like I'd thought she would. She just looked at me. Then she walked away.

And this time I didn't follow her.

_**Bet you didn't see that one coming. To be honest I didn't either. That's one of the things I love about writing, I never know where a story is going before I actually started typing. So this was really as mush a shock to me as it was to you. Or something.**_

_**I hope you can all forgive me for being so slow lately. And I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. If you did – REVIEW! If you didn't… REVIEW!**_


	8. Strawberry Chocolate Mousse Cake

**Strawberry Chocolate Mousse Cake**

The next day, I'm afraid to say, I called in sick for work. I was quite afraid of facing Hermione after yesterday's humiliation. So I stayed at home, walking around in my pyjama bottoms, sighing and moaning all the time. I know, I was a pathetic mess. Whiskey was kind enough to tell me quite many times. But I didn't care. Safe to say, I was devastated.

I thought about going to her house later on, when she would be home from work.

I thought about waiting for her to get home with some sort of apology-strawberry.

I thought about quitting my job and avoiding her.

I thought about going to work and just kiss her.

I thought about kidnapping one of her squirrels and forcing her to be my girlfriend.

I did neither of those things. Instead I just stayed at home, sighing and moaning. Finally I decided that there was no point of me staying awake when I was just going to be miserable. So at 5 o'clock I went to bed. But I had just tugged myself in when there was a shrill yell from the kitchen.

"Pretty lady!" Whiskey yelled and I flew out of bed. There was only one person that Whiskey would call 'Pretty lady'. Without even thinking about my appearance I ran out of my room and into the kitchen where the most beautiful sight awaited me. There, in my kitchen, was the very woman, who had me feeling so low and yet so high. She was as beautiful as ever, albeit sad. Her eyes had a haunting glimmer of sorrow and her kissable mouth struggled to smile.

"Hi," I breathed and was suddenly very aware of how I looked. I tried to smooth down my ragged hair, which finally made Hermione smile her perfect, flawless smile.

"Hi," she smiled heartedly. "I heard you were sick."

I cringed, unable to lie to her.

"Yeah, I didn't believe that," she said sorrowfully. "That's why I didn't bring you soup like I would have done if you actually were sick."

"You brought me something?" I asked incredulously.

"I thought I owed you something," she apologised. "After running away from you last night. I should have stayed with you. I should have let you talk. I should have listened."

"I understand why you ran," I said and took a step closer to her. She did the same. "I was wrong to just say it so bluntly."

"No," she said hurriedly. "No, it wasn't your fault. I asked for the truth. I was a fool for not trusting you. But I was an even bigger fool for rejecting you altogether."

Hope flickered in my chest. I waited for her to say more, to say that she loved me too. But of course she didn't.

"So I brought you strawberries," she said with a beaming smile. From behind her back she pulled out a wonderful looking cake. "It's a strawberry chocolate mousse cake. Never tasted it before but it sounds nice, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," I said slowly. "Yeah, it does."

Hermione was quick to catch up on my disappointment, and looked at me with sympathetic eyes.

"I know you want more from me, Draco," she whispered and took a step closer to me. "But I need time."

I nodded, knowing she was absolutely right, but secretly hoping that the time she needed would only be mere seconds.

"I'm sorry."

The pain in her voice was so real, so tangible, that I could think of nothing else than to put my arms around her and draw her close to me. She willingly leaned into my chest and her arms wrapped around my waist as she clung to me. Suddenly I felt her shoulders start to shake and heard sobs from her. I felt panic welling in me. I wasn't used to dealing with crying women. I had n idea what to do. So I did the only thing I could imagine would help her. I gathered her in my arms and carried her to my couch, where I sat down with her on my lap. And there I held her even closer than before, her huddled form snuggling close to me. I rocked back and forth, thinking of something soothing to say but coming up empty.

"I'm so sorry," I finally hiccupped between sobs. "I'm sorry for being so mean to you and for crying and everything."

"Mean to me?" I asked incredulously. "When where you ever mean to me?"

"Well, now," she said, sounding clearly confused.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, it's mean of me to string you along like this. You're a great guy and I don't want to hurt you by not being able to give you what you want. What you deserve."

I hesitated, taking in her words, before answering, "That doesn't make you mean. Quite the opposite, I'd say. Since you don't want to hurt me."

"But I _am_ hurting you, aren't I?" she tilted her head so that her large, brown eyes filled with glassy tears were staring up at me.

"No," I answered honestly. "Yes, I am hurting, but you're not the one doing it. My feelings are. I'm only hurting myself."

A little smile appeared on her lips.

"Thank you," she whispered. Her little hand reached out and stroked my cheek, and I closed my eyes, savouring the touch and her affection. I hadn't expected what she did next. Suddenly, while my eyes were still closed and I was still lost in the wonder of her touch, her beautiful, plump lips pressed against mine. My eyes flew open and stared straight into hers as she kissed my tryingly. Then she pulled away as suddenly as she'd started the kiss.

"What…?" I started saying but then I noticed the wide, happy grin on her face. She shook her head with a joyous little laugh and threw her arms around my neck, pressing her lips firmly against mine, kissing me feverishly and hungrily. I held on to her for dear life, feeling my stomach fill with butterfly and my head fill with church bells. When she drew away again she was smiling and laughing like a little girl.

"What was that about?" I tried to sound serious, but her smile and her laugh was infectious and I started laughing as well.

"I thought that was clear," she laughed.

"And I though you needed time," I commented.

"Apparently I didn't," she said, more seriously this time. "Apparently I only needed a little crying and a heart stopping kiss."

"Your heart stopped?" I asked teasingly. "That's so strange; I could have sworn I felt it beating hard and loud."

She laughed again.

"You know what I mean!"

I laughed with her before leaning down to steal another kiss from her. And another. And another till we were breathless and giggling and happy like two fools in love.

To this date we still eat strawberry chocolate mousse cake every year on your anniversary.

_**Once again, I'm so sorry for being a lousy updater. **_

_**I hope you enjoyed this, the final chapter. I hope you'll all review and tell me EVERYTHING you're thinking. I'm quite nosy when it comes to thoughts.**_


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